Hanging Up The Lights
by KaramelKat
Summary: Embry's out on patrol just before Christmas and comes across something he's never seen before. Originally written as a writing challenge for JBNP Winter Wonderland Picture Prompt contest - 1st place winner in a tie!


_A/N: Originally part of the JBNP Winter Wonderland Picture Prompt Story Challenge. A wolf, snow, and twinkling lights. What will you write? This is what I wrote._

_All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_Hanging Up The Lights_

Three days until Christmas.

Embry patrolled the reservation, the night hiding the world in shadows. He kept his senses sharp due to the influx of vampires nearby – the gathering of the witnesses before the first snow melted. Sam had given orders what to do if a hungry vampire wandered the wrong side of the treaty line. His Alpha had doubled the guard and every wolf was working overtime.

Paul was on patrol with Embry, thinking about what to get his imprint for Christmas. Embry threw a few ideas out there since he had known Rachel by proxy of hanging out with Jake while growing up. He had shot down a few of Paul's naughtier present ideas. Charlie would have to arrest Billy for shooting Paul dead and there'd be one less werewolf when the royal vampire squad finally did show up.

His thoughts had switched to musing over what to get his own mother – he'd stashed a few extra bucks away from all the bets he made – when a familiar and terse voice suddenly yelled an obscenity into the dark. Embry's ears perked forward, loping forward to seek the source of the problem. When he emerged from the tree line, he was in the Clearwater backyard. It was Leah's cursing that had brought him here.

Embry pulled up short upon seeing what had caused the she-wolf to yell out.

_What the hell are you looking at?_ Paul was suddenly guffawing in his head at the sight that met Embry's eyes.

Leah was dangling mid-air. Embry's eyes could see her clearly in the dark, not that it was dark thanks to the festive outdoor lighting on half of the Clearwater's roof. Leah herself was tangled in the other half of the wires and hanging nine feet off the ground. She was trying to free herself from the mess but the wires had snared her good. She stopped struggling when she spotted Embry.

He could have had a good laugh at her expense, but Embry's mom had raised him better than that. He was going to have to help her out of the mess she was in.

_Oh man, you should totally leave her hanging!_ Paul was not so willing to help.

Ignoring him, Embry phased and pulled on his shorts. "Leah? You need help?" he called out.

"Why? Isn't it obvious I like hanging out here," Leah's sarcasm was infamous on the reservation.

"What are you doing?" Embry searched for a way up onto the roof, spying the ladder at the other side of the house.

"Setting up my home with a beacon light inviting all vamps to come chow down – What does it look like Embry?" Caustic is Leah's middle name.

"I meant what are you doing at this time of the night? Why are you doing this now?" Embry found the strength to ignore her attitude and climb up the ladder.

For once she was quiet, no biting retort to his question. Embry carefully stepped over the bulbs, making his way to where she hung. He didn't want to step on a bulb and injure his bare foot. He found where the cords dropped over the side and dropped to his knees. He started to hoist her up. The excess length of cord went over his shoulder.

"Dad always did this," Leah's voice floated up from below. If he hadn't had a wolf's hearing, Embry might not have heard her. He paused in his actions, leaning over the side to peer at her.

"Say again?" he asked.

Leah looked up at him. "Dad always did this," she repeated, tears brimming in her dark eyes. "He always decorated outside, but not this year. Someone had to do it."

And that someone had to be her. The entire pack knew Leah blamed herself for her father's death. And they knew she still hadn't forgiven herself.

Embry couldn't stand to see a woman cry. He didn't know what to do with them when they did, not even his own mom. He probably could have been a little kinder, but he figured humor might get her mind off her father as he commented, "Well you've done a pretty lousy job of it. Getting tangled like this."

"Have you ever put lights on a house before?" The annoyance in her voice was immediate.

"No."

"Yeah well until you try it, don't even talk to me about it."

"I'm just wondering how this happened." Embry tugged again. She was almost to the gutters and he'd pull her up over the edge.

"Kind of like you are now," Leah's snarkiness cut through. Embry had just a moment to glance down at himself before he suddenly felt a strong tug on the wires he had wound around himself in the process of pulling her up. The pull sent him spilling over the edge of the roof.

In the process of pulling Leah up, he had unerringly wrapped the wires around his own self and now they both dangled in the air. Leah was laughing at the look of stupid surprise on Embry's face at his predicament.

"Think it's so easy now?" she managed between snorts of unladylike laughter.

Embry was at face level with Leah. He cocked an eyebrow at her and then glanced up at the roof. "I guess it is more dangerous than it looks."

Leah was radiating smug, all-knowing triumph. He knew how to burst her bubble.

"I hope you realize I was on patrol with Paul. He's not coming to help," Embry felt the need to inform her. He could feel the blood beginning to rush to his head upside down.

"Damn."

"Exactly."


End file.
